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Recitation
سمجھا تھا میں ۔ پنڈت ہری چند اختر
۱
ذہن رہنِ قومیت، احساس محبوسِ وطن
واے نادانی قفس کو آشیاں سمجھا تھا میں
۲
یاتھ شل ہوتے رہے، بہرِ دعا اُٹھتے رہے
تیری بے مہری کو اپنا اِمتحاں سمجھا تھا میں
۳
سُستیٔ ایماں کا کچھ باعث ہے ورنہ ایک دِن
آتشِ نمرود کو بھی گُلستاں سمجھا تھا میں
۴
آہ سوداگر ہی تھے وہ دوست بھی اختر جِنھیں
بے نیازِ کاوِشِ سود و زیاں سمجھا تھا میں
۵
تو میرے اعمال کا پابند نکلا حشر میں
اے خدا، میرے خدا، تجھ کو خدا سمجھا تھا میں
समझा था मैं – पंडित हरि चन्द अख़्तर
१
ज़हन, रहन-ए क़ौमिय्यत, एहसास महबूस-ए वतन
वाए नादानी, क़फ़स को आशियाँ समझा था मैं
२
हाथ शल होते रहे, बहर-ए दुआ उठते रहे
तेरी बे-महरी को अपना इम्तेहां समझा था मैं
३
सुस्ती-ए ईमां का कुछ बा’अस है वर्ना एक दिन
आतिश-ए नमरूद को भी गुलसितां समझा था मैं
४
आह सौदागर ही थे वो दोस्त भी अख़्तर जिन्हें
बे-नियाज़-ए काविश-ए सूद ओ ज़ियाँ समझा था मैं
५
तू मेरे आमाल का पाबन्द निक्ला हश्र में
अए ख़ुदा, मेरे ख़ुदा, तुझ को ख़ुदा समझा था मैं
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. hari chand aKhtar grew up and lived in the punjab before migrating to India/dehli after partition. It is possible that in the first she’r his expression of internationalism and universal humanism vs narrow communitarianism is a reflection of what was going on around him at the time of partition. Many of his other ash’aar are also very defiant and rebellious.
1
zahn1, rahn2-e qaumiyyat3, ehsaas4 mahboos5-e vatan
vaaye6 naadaani7 qafas8 ko aashiyaaN9 samjha tha maiN 1.mind 2.beholden to 3.communitarianism (based on religion) 4.feelings 5.imprisoned, captive 6.alas 7.foolishness 8.cage 9.nest
Mind, beholden to community, feelings, captured by narrow nationalism. Alas, I had thought that this cage was my nest. The clear implication is that the poet/thinker no longer accepts narrow bounds of communitarianism or nationality. Universal humanism is the real goal.
2
haath shal1 hote rahe bahr2-e dua3 uThte rahe
teri be-mehri4 ko apna imtehaaN5 samjhaa tha maiN 1.frozen, stiff 2.for the sake of, with the intention of 3.prayer 4.unkindness 5.test
It is conventional thinking that if you have difficulties and your prayers are not answered, then god is testing you. The poet/thinker trashes this thought. His hands were going stiff with raising them in prayer. I had thought this was a test, but it was your unkindness/cruelty.
3
susti1-e iimaaN2 ka kuchh baa’as3 hai varna4 ek din
aatish5-e namrood6 ko bhi gulsitaaN7 samjha tha maiN 1.unenthusiastic 2.belief, faith 3.basis, reason 4.otherwise 5.fire 6.Nimrod 7.garden
Reference is made to the story of ibrahim and namrood which runs like this … namrood, the king at the time, had ibrahim captured and built a huge fire. He asked ibrahim to throw himself into the fire if he had faith that his god would save him. ibrahim did and (miraculously) the fire changed into a garden. The poet/thinker no longer believes in such stories. His lack of enthusiasm has some reason, otherwise there was a day/time when he too had thought that the fire of namrood would become a garden.
4
aah1 saudagar hi the vo dost bhi aKhtar jinheN
be-niyaaz2-e kaavish3-e sood-o-ziyaaN4 samjha tha maiN 1.alas 2.not concerned with, not bothered about 3.effort of, work for 4.profit and loss
Alas, O, aKhtar, even those friends turned out to be traders, who I had thought were not focused on narrow concerns of profit and loss. The poet/thinker was expecting more universal, humanist, spiritual thinking from his friends.
5
tu mere aa’maal1 ka paaband2 nikla hashr3 meN
aye Khuda mere Khuda! tujh ko Khuda samjha tha maiN 1.actions, list of deeds 2.bound by 3.day of judgement
This is a lovely pun. The poet/thinker recognizes himself as a transgressor/sinner. The list of his deeds is presented to god on the day of judgement and judgement is pronounced. The poet/thinker does not see any mercy/kindness in it. You too were bound by the list of deeds of god, my god. I had thought you were omnipotent and generous. In the light of the previous she’r, he may be carrying the concept of narrow concern of profit and loss, reward and punishment into this she’r.
hari chand aKhtar grew up and lived in the punjab before migrating to India/dehli after partition. It is possible that in the first she’r his expression of internationalism and universal humanism vs narrow communitarianism is a reflection of what was going on around him at the time of partition. Many of his other ash’aar are also very defiant and rebellious.
1
zahn1, rahn2-e qaumiyyat3, ehsaas4 mahboos5-e vatan
vaaye6 naadaani7 qafas8 ko aashiyaaN9 samjha tha maiN
1.mind 2.beholden to 3.communitarianism (based on religion) 4.feelings 5.imprisoned, captive 6.alas 7.foolishness 8.cage 9.nest
Mind, beholden to community, feelings, captured by narrow nationalism. Alas, I had thought that this cage was my nest. The clear implication is that the poet/thinker no longer accepts narrow bounds of communitarianism or nationality. Universal humanism is the real goal.
2
haath shal1 hote rahe bahr2-e dua3 uThte rahe
teri be-mehri4 ko apna imtehaaN5 samjhaa tha maiN
1.frozen, stiff 2.for the sake of, with the intention of 3.prayer 4.unkindness 5.test
It is conventional thinking that if you have difficulties and your prayers are not answered, then god is testing you. The poet/thinker trashes this thought. His hands were going stiff with raising them in prayer. I had thought this was a test, but it was your unkindness/cruelty.
3
susti1-e iimaaN2 ka kuchh baa’as3 hai varna4 ek din
aatish5-e namrood6 ko bhi gulsitaaN7 samjha tha maiN
1.unenthusiastic 2.belief, faith 3.basis, reason 4.otherwise 5.fire 6.Nimrod 7.garden
Reference is made to the story of ibrahim and namrood which runs like this … namrood, the king at the time, had ibrahim captured and built a huge fire. He asked ibrahim to throw himself into the fire if he had faith that his god would save him. ibrahim did and (miraculously) the fire changed into a garden. The poet/thinker no longer believes in such stories. His lack of enthusiasm has some reason, otherwise there was a day/time when he too had thought that the fire of namrood would become a garden.
4
aah1 saudagar hi the vo dost bhi aKhtar jinheN
be-niyaaz2-e kaavish3-e sood-o-ziyaaN4 samjha tha maiN
1.alas 2.not concerned with, not bothered about 3.effort of, work for 4.profit and loss
Alas, O, aKhtar, even those friends turned out to be traders, who I had thought were not focused on narrow concerns of profit and loss. The poet/thinker was expecting more universal, humanist, spiritual thinking from his friends.
5
tu mere aa’maal1 ka paaband2 nikla hashr3 meN
aye Khuda mere Khuda! tujh ko Khuda samjha tha maiN
1.actions, list of deeds 2.bound by 3.day of judgement
This is a lovely pun. The poet/thinker recognizes himself as a transgressor/sinner. The list of his deeds is presented to god on the day of judgement and judgement is pronounced. The poet/thinker does not see any mercy/kindness in it. You too were bound by the list of deeds of god, my god. I had thought you were omnipotent and generous. In the light of the previous she’r, he may be carrying the concept of narrow concern of profit and loss, reward and punishment into this she’r.
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